Day 72-74 (near Sierra City to Reno)

Miles hiked this section: 15

PCT hiked so far: mile 2660 – 1195

Total miles hiked so far including blue blazing etc: 1458ish

  
Day 72

We wake at 5am and Twinless arrives while we are still packing up. We have an easy hike to get to Sierra City thru a cloud speckled sunrise. Groucho, seeking morning solitude is in front and misses a shortcut to town we see on Huck’s map. He’s too far ahead to stop, so I follow him the additional 5 miles on easy switchbacks while Huck and Twinless bushwhack down a steep old 2 mile fire road. We get to the breakfast joint only 45 minutes after them and are delighted to find another SOBO ATrain and his dog Echo who everyone is crushed out on. This is maybe the biggest convergence of SOBOs in the history of the PCT. This calls for celebration. We decide to get to Reno one way or another from here. After some Facebook sleuthing we learn a senior services van has shuttled people before. 

We check at the general store, where a young, beautiful clerk has her 3 week old baby laid up in the bagging area. She looks too amazing to have just given birth. She says she’s wearing spanks but STILL. her 4 year old wild child shoots me with a pink plastic gun because I’m paying too much attention to her little brother. The store is awesome and we are allowed to use the phone to leave a series of messages for Lou, the van driver. 

  
We drink beers by the excellent swimming hole and then get dinner at the pub. We hear from Lou that he will take us to Reno tomorrow morning for $25 each. We camp on the lawn of the charming Methodist Church. 

   
Day 73

Ride to Reno! We jump in the van at 8:30 and roll up to downtown Reno at 10am. First stop: boozie smoothies at Siris. Then: vegan lunch at Great Full Gardens; $1.50 Budweisers at Calneva; gyro-style sandwiches at the excellent new joint Schwarmageddon (the heavy metal Mediterranean joint run by somebody mysteriously named Uncle Tony); and get drinks from our bud Jimmy at Milepost 40. We feel great!

  
Day 74

Our Reno patron saint Jeffrey proves his credentials by inviting 5 stinky hikers (3 off them strangers) and a dog into his home. We wake refreshed at 7am and head to brunch at Deluxe. Then we all take an excellent yoga class at Midtown Community Yoga. I feel physically better than I have in weeks. We walk to the coop for snacks and resupply, before Jeff picks us up for Pho soup. Reno has all the snacks. We visit REI and are mistaken for Burners a dozen time – Burning Man starts on Saturday and the town is overrun by people with purple dreadlocks and men in sequin mini skirts trying to sell stuffed children. This is a great disguise. Groucho goes on a 10 mile full moon hike, Twinless heads to Truckee. The rest of us clean and snack before passing out again. So greatful for the simple pleasures of chairs and shelter and box fans.